Archivist Of The Fallen Dragon Empire

Guardian of the scale

The massive beast roared. The sound shook the stone pillars. Dust rained down from the ceiling. Luca grabbed Amelia by the arm. He pulled her behind a broken column. The glowing red eyes glared through the darkness. The creature stepped into the pale light of the lantern. It was not a dragon. It was a chimera made of thick bone and dark shadow. Its huge claws scraped against the cold floor. The beast guarded the golden chest. It sniffed the damp air and let out a very low growl. It could smell the fresh blood on Luca. It could smell the ancient magic hiding inside him. They were completely trapped in the room.

Amelia pressed her back against the stone. Her breathing was fast and shallow. She clutched her small leather bag tightly. Luca peered around the edge of the column. The chimera was moving closer. Its heavy steps made the ground vibrate. Luca knew he could not fight this monster. His human body was still too weak. The shadow beast blood from the dagger had helped him heal but it was not enough. He needed the dragon scale to forge his new core. The scale was sitting right there inside the open golden chest. He just needed a way to reach it without getting torn apart. He looked around the vast underground chamber.

There were several large chains hanging from the high ceiling. They swung gently in the cold draft. Luca quickly formed a desperate plan. He turned to Amelia and leaned in close. He whispered so the beast would not hear. He told her to run to the left side of the room. He told her to make as much noise as possible. She looked at him with wide frightened eyes but she nodded her head. She trusted him. Luca took a deep breath and prepared to move. He counted to three in his head. Then he nodded at Amelia. She sprinted away from the column. She threw a loose rock across the chamber.

The rock hit a metal shield on the floor with a loud clang. The chimera snapped its huge head toward the sound. It roared again and charged after Amelia. This was his only chance. Luca bolted out from his hiding spot. He ran straight toward the golden chest. His legs felt heavy but he pushed himself harder. The chimera was fast but it was distracted. Luca reached the open chest and looked inside. A single crimson scale rested on a velvet cushion. It glowed with a warm inner light. It was a piece of his original body. It was a piece of his old magnificent soul. He reached out his hand.

His fingers touched the smooth surface of the scale. A sudden jolt of pure energy shot up his arm. It felt like grabbing a bolt of lightning. The power rushed into his chest. It mixed violently with the shadow beast blood and the elixir he had taken earlier. His heart hammered wildly. His veins burned with intense heat. He gasped and fell to his knees. The process of forging a dragon core was agonizing. His fragile human shell felt like it was melting from the inside out. He gritted his teeth and held onto the scale. He refused to let go. He would not die in this dark damp basement.

Across the room the chimera realized it had been tricked. It stopped chasing Amelia and spun around. It saw Luca kneeling by the chest. The beast let out a furious screech and leaped across the room. Amelia screamed his name. Luca opened his eyes. They were no longer human eyes. They glowed with a fierce bright gold. The dragon core had finally stabilized within his chest. He felt a surge of incredible raw strength. The chimera lunged at him with its jaws wide open. Luca did not run away this time. He stood up slowly. He raised his right hand and caught the lower jaw of the beast.

The chimera froze in mid air. It struggled and clawed at him but Luca held it firmly in place. He squeezed his fingers. The thick bone cracked under his new grip. He was no longer just a weak archivist. He was the sovereign reborn. He threw the massive creature across the room. It slammed into the far wall and collapsed into a pile of dust and shadow. Amelia ran over to him. She was out of breath but completely unharmed. She stared at him in pure awe. The golden light in his eyes slowly faded back to a normal brown color. The overwhelming power settled deep inside his new core.

They had survived. Luca looked down at his hands. They were still human hands but they held the strength of a god. He had taken his first real step toward reclaiming his empire. He turned to Amelia and smiled. They needed to get out of the catacombs before Kaelen Draven realized what had happened. They walked toward the heavy iron door they had entered through. Luca pushed it open with a single effortless shove. They stepped back into the dark twisting tunnel. They walked in silence for a long time. The path began to slope upward. They were getting closer to freedom.

Suddenly the tunnel collapsed ahead. Dominic Kane was standing there. He was smiling at them. Run.